The present invention relates generally to pattern recognition and, more particularly, to searching a database for object images with relatively reduced computational overhead.
Recognition of a human face is one of the most fundamental and seemingly effortless human activities. To impart this capability to a machine has generated a lot of interest in the field of automated face recognition, and a number of implementation approaches have been proposed. The human face recognition is a challenging area of development in biometrics for positive identification of a person. Application of such a machine has a broad utility range varying from photo identification for personal identification, credit card verification, and criminal identification to real time matching of video images in different constraints in terms of processing requirements.
Search mechanisms for images from a huge image database is crucial for success of such a biometric or recognition system. Typical exhaustive search mechanisms are counterproductive for practical applications.
Thus, there is a continuing need for better ways to search an image of an object in a database, especially recognizing similar images with relatively reduced computational overhead.